Page 28 - CooperatorNews NJ Expo 2022

26 COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY —EXPO 2022 NJ.COOPERATORNEWS.COM www.t h e f al c ongro u p . u s i n f o @ t h e f al c ongro u p . u s (800) 839 -7740 JERSEY CITY WELCOMES W E A R E E X C I T E D T O A N N O U N C E T H E O P E N I N G O F O U R N E W E S T L O C A T I O N O N J U N E 1 S T , A T 6 6 Y O R K S T R E E T I N J E R S E Y C I T Y , N E W J E R S E Y . A S F A L C O N C O N T I N U E S T O B E A L E A D E R I N T H E E N G I N E E R I N G A N D A R C H I T E C T U R A L I N D U S T R Y , T H I S O F F I C E W I L L G I V E O U R S T A F F A M O R E C O N V E N I E N T A N D L O C A L L O C A T I O N T O B E T T E R S E R V E O U R M I D A N D H I G H - R I S E , A N D N O R T H E A S T C L I E N T S , A S W E L L A S O U R J E R S E Y C I T Y C L I E N T S W I T H M A N D A T O R Y S T R U C T U R A L A N D F A Ç A D E I N S P E C T I O N S R E Q U I R E D B Y N E W L Y A D O P T E D O R D I N A N C E N O . 2 1 - 0 5 4 . 66 York Stre et, 3rd Flo or J e r s ey City, NJ 07302 ings, residents used the bulletin board to help each other out with things like doing grocery runs for high-risk neigh- bors, or collecting funds for sick staff members. Some who had moved out to second homes during the initial wave of the pandemic offered their apartment to neighbors for quarantining.” BuildingLink’s services also include email and newsletters, which supplement the bulletin board with general news and updates. Newsletters are usually sent monthly, while the bulletin board is more real-time. In terms of community building, there’s also a calendar where the property manager can post upcom- ing social events for residents to see and RSVP for attendance. “These platforms short-circuit the nastiness social media is so well known for,” says Kestenbaum. Neil Golub, director of sales for Car- son Living, Inc., a provider of online services ranging from virtual doormen to maintenance and billing services for residential buildings, notes a few key components of any online communica- tions module for co-op and condo com- munities: “There must be a marketplace to post items for sale and a space for community events,” he says. “It should be monitored and must never turn into a gripe board. A cutting-edge app of this type would also include something akin to a newsfeed for the community—again, properly moderated, of course.” Disconnecting the Megaphone The online nastiness mentioned by Schuster and Golub doesn’t end with per- sonal attacks. In the world of real estate, it often extends to commentary sites. And a long list of complaints about your building on sites like Yelp is the last thing any co-op or condo community wants. “We are working on a project right now called Antenna,” says Schuster, “that will offer a whole new dimension to on- line-based community interaction. Resi- dents will be able to leave comments on a social platform that can then respond to their problem, so it doesn’t get to the point where they just leave an angry, neg- ative review. “As an example,” he continues, “say the owner of a recently purchased con- dominium finds that his or her air con- ditioning unit isn’t working. Say they moved in during the winter and never checked it. Now it’s hot, and they need AC. Who do they call? They try the su- per, and then perhaps the management. Management or the super may say, ‘It’s not my problem, or it’s a construction problem, and you need someone in the trade to correct it.’ The owner of the unit has no idea who to call. This new app will act like a customer hotline. Antenna will link your address and identity to de- CO-OPS... continued from page 10 es,” Ciarlo says. “Many boards can be secretive, not because they are trying to hide anything, but because they do not want their decisions second-guessed by everyone in the building.” Play by the Rules All co-ops and condos should have a clear set of rules and regulations to en- sure that all tenants understand what’s expected of them and act in a manner that’s appropriate for their living situa- tion. Strong communication of what’s re- quired is also vital. “Having clear, concise rules helps set expectations for everyone,” says Chip Hoever, vice president of operations for Matrix Property Management in North Brunswick. “Make sure rules resolve a problem and don’t make them overly bur- densome. Remember, this is someone’s home and they have the right to peaceful enjoyment. Also—and this is very impor- tant—make sure the rules are distributed to the entire community.” Josh Koppel, CMP, president of HSC Management Corp., in Mount Vernon, New York, says when things get heated, management needs to turn to the bylaws and stick to the house rules and policies that have been established in ironing out the disagreements. “Notifications and reminders about rules are a big help,” he says. “Often when people do not realize there’s a rule, it gets broken. Once management deals with the issue. people go on the defensive. If someone feels like they are being treated differently than others, they get angry. Examples of similar situations and how other shareholders or owners were dealt with sometimes makes someone under- termine whether it’s a sponsor problem, a management issue, or something else, and then determine who can best help you. It is algorithm-based and designed to short-circuit the negative complaint system. It allows everyone to get to the right person before it gets to the point of a negative complaint that lives forever on the internet.” And that, perhaps, is the most impor- tant thing for condo owners and coop- erators to remember. Everything on so- cial media lives forever—even the snarky review you left about your management company when you were frustrated over your air conditioner. So while using so- cial media as a communication or com- munity-building tool might seem like an obvious choice, there may be better, in- deed more neighborly ways to stay con- nected with your actual neighbors. n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. He can be reached at alan@yrinc.com. DEALING WITH... continued from page 12 See us at Booth 400 NEW JERSEY See us at Booth 617 NEW JERSEY